one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of God. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels).
a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes.
a messenger, especially of God.
a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God.
an angel of mercy.
a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.
a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous.
an attendant or guardian spirit.
a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.
a person who provides financial backing for some undertaking, as a play, political campaign, or business venture.
A group of angels entered the mix, providing George the leverage he needed to take the startup company in a new direction.
Angels seek deals that they can exit in less than a decade.
an English gold coin issued from 1470 to 1634, varying in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s. and bearing on its obverse a figure of the archangel Michael killing a dragon.
Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.
theol one of a class of spiritual beings attendant upon God. In medieval angelology they are divided by rank into nine orders: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations (or dominions), virtues, powers, principalities (or princedoms), archangels, and angels
a divine messenger from God
a guardian spirit
a conventional representation of any of these beings, depicted in human form with wings
informal a person, esp a woman, who is kind, pure, or beautiful
informal an investor in a venture, esp a backer of a theatrical production
Also called: angel-noble. a former English gold coin with a representation of the archangel Michael on it, first minted in Edward IV's reign
informal an unexplained signal on a radar screen
Spelling tips for angel The word angel is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is very close in spelling to angle, as in the space between two lines that meet at a point. Second, the beginning sound [ eyn ] is not spelled the way it sounds. How to spell angel: The first letter of angel is a, not e, because Angels are Amazing. The way to remember that angel ends in an l is that both devil and angel are celestial beings, and they both end in l. Similarly, angle and line are both mathematics terms, and they both end in e.
First recorded before 950; 1890–95 angel for def. 9; Middle English a(u)ngel, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin angelus, from New Testament Greek ángelos “messenger of God,” special use of Greek ángelos “messenger” (to translate Hebrew mal'ākh ), of disputed origin, frequently connected to ángaros “Persian mounted courier,” suggesting derivation from an uncertain source possibly akin to Akkadian agâru “to hire” or egertu “letter,” Persian angareh “journal, narrative,” or Sanskrit ajira “swift”; replacing Old English engel, from Latin, as above
An angel is a messenger of God, characterized as having human form with wings and a halo. The word suggests goodness, and is often used to refer to someone who offers comfort and aid to others in times of trouble. As a child, you looked like an innocent angel; appearances can be deceiving. The word angel derives from the Greek angelos, meaning "messenger." It is used in the Bible to denote God's attendants, with angels often depicted as being guardians of humans, an idea found in ancient Asian cultures as well. The Biblical sense was continued in a medieval gold coin called an angel, which depicted the archangel Michael. The word has been applied to angel fish, so named because they appear to have wings, and nurses, often called "angels of mercy."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Til we meet again our sweet boy. We love you forever, Mom, Dad and Kaia," she wrote in closing, with an emoji of angel wings.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Crawford concluded the post by thanking photographer Sebastián Faena for taking the image of Gerber, which appears to have angel wings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
In an interview this month with the Mercury News, Gabrielle Hanson called Aurora “an angel on this earth” and said that she and her husband tried to help the girl during her asthma attack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Andus Labs is backed by $5.7 million in angel funding and headquartered in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
According to legend, the angel Gabriel told him, “Recite!”
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
“That wreaks havoc for colleges,” said Angel Pérez, chief executive of the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
It was Angel City’s fifth match of the season and Anderson, the team’s goalkeeper, made a crucial error in stoppage time that led to a winning goal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Angel City co-founder Kara Nortman is grateful she could add authenticity to the fourth season of “Ted Lasso.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
He rose at the far post to power in a trademark header from Angel di Maria's cross in extra time as Real beat Barcelona 1-0.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
And the sky tonight would be alive with the rustling of the Angel of Death’s wings.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
In his “Mystic Mandorla,” which is missing its central element, a figure of Christ or Mary, the angels seem almost to cavort as they go about their task.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Even if one is coming, “of that day and that hour knoweth no man,” not even “the angels which are in heaven.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
I want Black angels to exist within the same spiritual realm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Kendra and I left our sleds by a tree while we made snow angels," Nadine explained.
From "Case of the Sneaky Snowman: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #5" by Carolyn Keene
Through his second largest philanthropy, the General Education Board, he angeled Progressive Education.
From Time Magazine Archive
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